Broomfield museum salutes veterans of Iraq, Afghanistan

New permanent exhibit to be unveiled Saturday

What: Opening of the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum's new permanent collection of items from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

When: A pre-event Coffee and Conversation presentation is at 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by the exhibit grand opening ceremony at 11 a.m.

Where: 12 Garden Center

More info: Army Lt. Col. Andrew Ulrich will talk about his 2010 deployment to Iraq during the Coffee and Conversation presentation. The Broomfield Police Department Honor Guard will lead the exhibit's opening ceremony in front of the museum after the talk.

From Desert Storm to the war on terror, the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum's newest exhibit will honor veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The exhibit, which features gear, photos, uniforms and other items, visually showcases the lives of military personnel during the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the war in Afghanistan. The exhibit opens Saturday with a brief ceremony and a recognition of veterans who fought in the nation's three most recent military conflicts.

"Before this exhibit, we had a few things (from recent wars) sprinkled around the museum, but we just felt we had to have a permanent room for Iraq and Afghanistan," said Ray Fernandez, chair of the committee that put together the display.

Curated by a team of veterans and volunteers, the exhibit took more than 100 hours to put together, he said.

Putting together the exhibit had its challenges. To showcase a complete picture of the recent conflicts, they reached out to anyone they knew for perspective and donations of gear or personal items. Yet it is still difficult for some veterans to talk about their deployments, said Ed Miccio, a museum volunteer and exhibit organizer.

NEW EXHIBIT: Ray Fernandez explains items in the new exhibit dedicated to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at the Broomfield Veterans Memorial Museum. See more photos, video and an interactive photo graphic on the exhibit at BroomfieldEnterprise.com. (David R. Jennings / Broomfield Enterprise)

Miccio hopes the exhibit will draw veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to introduce themselves to a community of other veterans interested in hearing their stories and offering a welcoming place for them.

"I'm hoping that we get people to come in who might want to participate going forward," he said.

Many of the items on display come from veterans who live and work in the Broomfield area.

Traci Kroupa, a patrol officer with the Broomfield Police Department, is one of the veterans who donated items to the exhibit. Her boots, medical kit and other items are part of the display.

Kroupa was just 17 when she persuaded her mother to let her join the military, and she turned 18 just in time for boot camp. She first served in the Navy during the Gulf War. In 2003, she served as a hospital corpsman attached to a Marine Corps unit in Iraq. In 2006, she transferred to the Army National Guard, where she was deployed to Afghanistan.

Today, she is still a member of the National Guard. Kroupa has helped with disaster efforts during California wildfire season and has done humanitarian outreach in Haiti.

"It's really cool what the museum is doing to honor veterans in Iraq and Afghanistan," she said. "For 21 years, (the military) has been a big part of my life, and now it's part of history."

FROM IRAQ TO AFGHANISTAN TO BROOMFIELD: Traci Kroupa, left, carries out a triage training exercise as a hospital corpsman during the Iraq War in 2003. Kroupa, who in 2006 transferred to the Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan. She is now a patrol officer with the Broomfield Police Department. (Courtesy photo)

Kroupa said she is excited to share the exhibit with her mother, who supported her choice to join the Navy.

"For 21 years, I put my family through a lot, all those deployments," she said.

Other local veterans featured include Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, an Army Airborne Ranger and Broomfield High School graduate who was killed in Iraq in 2003. His uniform and photo are displayed alongside a fallen soldier memorial and a replica of a TIME Magazine cover, which listed the American soldier as Person of the Year in 2003.

While some of the exhibits include standard-issue uniforms, tools or other gear, the exhibit also peeks into the personal lives of some of the veterans. Colorful letters from elementary school students and photo albums labeled with handwritten captions add personality to the items on display.

Glenn Krumel, a pilot during Desert Storm who now lives in Boulder, donated the letters he received from children, along with his uniform from his days as a lieutenant commander in the Navy.

"One of our main goals with this exhibit, and with the whole museum, really, is to tell the story of the veteran," Fernandez said. " Everything here tells a story."

Miccio and Fernandez hope the exhibit will start conversations, make connections between veterans and even bring in new items to display.

"This isn't the end of it," Fernandez said. "We'll be adding to it and changing it as time goes on."

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